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Wednesday, January 18, 2012

Shyness is one of the reasons that I write on this blog. It’s suppose to be therapeutic in helping me deal with my shyness. The first of December I hit a wall with posting blogs. It was one too many and way too much for my shyness. Life was fine. Totally full but fine. I just didn’t want to write in such an open format. I refused to even think about it. I retreated. I didn’t even post the first part of this blog and it was very close to being finished. Maybe 2 hours adding pictures and playing with fonts, which I really enjoy.

Do Rya or Not!Since then I have finished Chene’s piece with the rya border. Haven't decided whether I want to leave it or not. I have had at least one person tell me they dislike the rya border.On the other hand they might just hate rya in any form. At least one other person has told me they love the Rya and it suits the piece, the comfort of the blankets, Chene's contentment, and possible it making a statement about the fribbles and attitudes from the time of my formative years when I first learned handwork and women's relationships to hand made things. It reminds me of the pillows that were made just to keep ones hands busy. I was thinking about trimming the rya{(making it more disciplined and now I wonder if I will. I like the untamed overgrown quality of the rya. The border is actualkly a series of triangles done in embroidery floss and hand dyed silk ribbon. It’s almost an expression of Chene’s personality. It’s so in your face. Surrounding a calm soothing portrait of a sometimes(?) hyperactive dog.

So what have I learned form doing rya on the two pieces with Rya that I have been working on.

1-how to make the rya to lay in the direction I want it to go to frame something on 4 sides. Rya will always lean away from the bar of the larks heard knot. In order to outline a rectangle the first rows across the fell line that hangs down away from the center have the bars on top and are tied in what one normally sees in rya design.

2. To match the density of the knots running across the fell line you have to deal with 2 warps and 1 knot. To do the sides you can use groups of 2 warps together and knot around them or you can knot around one warp and skip a warp between the knots.

3. In order to get the top knots to lean upwards the knot is tied upside down to the way it was tied on the first rows of knots that pull down and away from the center.

3. The stand up density of the rya is partially controlled by the amount of passes between the rows of knotting.

4. The best joins for the verticals slits created between the tapestry and the knots is a single interlock between the warps. Other joins such as shared and dovetails warps leave a notch that can disturb the smooth transition of the slits visually.

5. At 20 epi a doubled embroidery floss averages 100 knots to the square inch. When thinking about the size of the pile one needs to think in terms of a cone-the knot begins tight and flairs the ends out into a cone shape that takes more space as the ends lengthen and can cause the tapestry to buckle and curve to the back. If the rya tails are long most of the design becomes indistinct the longer the ends.

Shelley Socolofsky’s new Piece with rya and detail called Frontiers at the OCAC Instructors exhibit.

6. If the materials you are using are slick and difficult to stay put-mohair, monofilaments, hair and silk weight as you knot. They often times will set a curl or twist and make them stay in place better.

7. When you measure a piece or a cartoon that has rya on the edges. The rya is going to increase the width of the piece when it lays down. Hence the piece I was going to send to ATA unjuried small format show is now an inch and a half to big for the show. 10 inches became 13 inches. I have a 3.5 inch warp left beside Chene’s piece that I will now be weaving frantically on for a piece in that exhibit. Thankfully, the piece wasn’t due at the same time the entry was. IT gives me a month to finish a piece to take it’s place.

Cape Arrigo and Sunset Beach in the rain Christmas day

As for other things-

Chene as pillow and and me with my kindle

Pat and I are almost finished with updating the Shaped Tapestry book. There is a new section that has 3-d weaving for shaping-using feathers pulled warps and rya. Plus we took the section on mounting tapestries a little further to reflect the way I mount small format tapestry now. Updated the tools section. Updated the gallery and added more tapestries.We are really happy with the update. It is just amazing how technology has changed in the layout and publishing world since 2004. ONe of the new Gallery shots in the Shaped Tapestry book the tapestry is by Bev Walker and is called Gateways. It helps to illustrate the pulled wefts and soumack in the book.

We spent Christmas at the ocean recharging our Batteries. There is a motel in Yachats that has beautiful rooms that overlook the ocean with huge windows. We spent 4 days there. Reading, walking listening to music. There was absolutely no internet or phone connection, TV, and so quiet you could hear the ocean and the birds. Long enough for Chene to run from the wild rabbits-semi wild and decide walking on beach sand beasts walking in the desert. He learned to fetch his sweater when he was cold and attempt to put it on. Hasn’t quite got the hang of putting his feet in the leg holes, but he tries. But he has learned to back himself as soon as he sees a suitcase.

Yes, we are still waiting on thesolar panels. Everything has been done for the solar panels. We are now waiting for permits from the city of Albany and the energy trust of Oregon. We told it could take 3 days to 3 months for them to come through. We took the sign down that they put in the front yard, because people kept stopping to ask where the solar panels are that are waiting on the bureaucrats. It seems like we may be one of the first people in the city of Albany to get home solar panels. Browser books is the only other business in town with solar panels.

The windows are now all upgraded and Anthony is working on the laundry room and small bathroom that seems to serve as the entry between the studio and our home. No one who knows us ever uses the front porch.

My walk is almost done that allows me to chase Wry and Chene across the hopefully soon to be flower garden. Once it’s cleared of boards scaffolding and rain. It’s typical Oregon winter weather. My new lake with submerged walk way. Not water spots and splash circles above the walkway.

Another take on renovating old Houses. If one looks closely you can see the old house and it’s free to a good home. Somewhere on the Utah border. We were gassing the car and just happened to look over and see

the sign and the house after a rather discouraged discussion on what was left to be done to our house. Maybe they have the right idea.

The post that I almost finished before it became too hard and I needed to take a break. The second post is where I am now. Decided to post it anyway. Even though I never finished. TO get a better idea of what I am doing now read the second post that will go up within minutes of this one. Almost another month has gone by since this post.

“In behaviour, normal refers to a lack of significant deviation from the average” wikipedia with the editorial change to British spelling.

Since I last wrote in this blog almost 2 months ago I have managed to keep myself frantically busy-too busy often times to be doing what I really want to do.Which in my thoughts equals 3-4 blog entries in my goal to make an entry every two weeks. I have allowed my home schedule and accomplishments(?) to be dictated by reaction rather then action. Which usually leaves little time time for what I wish or want to be doing in my studio.It’s not as if I am sitting in a corner doing nothing, but it feels like it sometimes.

I haveincredible memories from this summer and fall from traveling and teaching.

I finally got to see Canyon De Chelly and the place that weaving began-Spider Women Rock.

“The name chelly (or Chelley) is a Spanish borrowing of the Navajo word Tséyiʼ, which means "canyon" (literally "inside the rock" < tsé "rock" + -yiʼ "inside of, within"). The Navajo pronunciation is [tséɣiʔ]. The Spanish pronunciation of de Chelly[deˈtʃeʎi] was adapted into English, apparently through modelling after a French-like spelling pronunciation, and now Englishpronunciation:/dəˈʃeɪ/də·shā′”.wikipedia

We arrived sparsely/scarcely before sundown and between two storms. (The we, of course, is Chene, Spencer and I)We ended up driving all night to beat another storm into Utah and points north. I spent time with old friends-not as much as I would have liked.

Explored Santa Fe again. Saw a show on depression jeweler and saw an incredible recycled jewelry show at the Wheelwright museum. It was amazing seeing the recycled materials used to create the Thunderbird jewelry of the Santo Domingo Indian Silversmiths during the depression, battery cases, celluloid from combs and brushes, old phonograph records-anything that could be cut up recycled to sell to tourist on route 66. There was also a show in conjunction with the Depression thunderbird stuff of modern recycled jewelry. It was extremely thought provoking. For the last several years in my silversmithing forays I have been playing with (and collecting) the idea of using recycled jewelry in my pieces.

I bought a small piece of weaving from a weaver at Tec Nos Pec.The weaver is Ruth Elthie. It’s a double sided all edged finished with twining birds eye twill –6.5 inches 10 inches. I saw an incredible amount of Navajo pictorial tapestries in a room off of the Service station and small store. Thanks to Diane K. I learned a bit about British water colours and traded a future tapestry for several of her paintings in that style of watercolour. Discovered that Susan Seuter one of my Village wool students has been making has been making woven balls from the Shaped Tapestry book.

On the other hand-I have painted most of new window sills, had the front porch rebuilt the porch,added rails on the steps, redone the studio door, gotten rid of the holes in the walls from the exited failing electric heaters etc.

Wry still sits at the blocked holes and morns the loss of his play grounds and hidey holes in the walls. He seems to becoming content with banging the attic door until it opens and he can sleep in a nice warm place that Chene can’t get into. Still some things-yet- to be finished. Anthony Secedo our contractor has done a wonderful job. It all just takes time and working with other peoples schedule.

The solar panels for the studio are being prepared-waiting on the engineer and then the installation. Can not believe how long that has taken to get through the paperwork. Of course, with the amount of air stagnation and fog we have had in the last month I am wondering just how productive they will be.

Understanding that there is time for doing everything in it is proper time sequence isn’t always logically for me or does it feel right. It just is the way things happen.

Weaving with Shelley has taken a slow down for the month of December. We are too began 3 days a week again in January.

I have been doing things-many things, but not as much weaving as I thought I would be doing. It’s time for a deep breath and another beginning.

I postponed working full time on “And He…” for a bit, because I need to finish a couple of smaller pieces first. I did start the black soumack roses on one side that needed to be.

I have the bottom border done on a small piece of Chene. I think that their will be 3 pieces in this series. The first is done. The bottom border on the nw piece is rya done in silk ribbon and embroidery floss. It’s relatively easy to knot rya so that it lays down or up, but I have arrived at the point that I want the rya fringe to lay horizontally.In order to do so I have to tie the knots around two warps rather then between two knots. When I arrive at the top I’ll the revert to the other style of soumack but tie the knots up side down so that the knots will "hang straight up(?)”

I had so much fun on our trip back from Albuquerque taking pictures of odd pieces of architecture.

Pat and I are redoing the Shaped Tapestry book-updating, adding a colour gallery , a slightly different stronger cover, a little more on mounting, and adding a few things. Should be to the printer by the end of the month-maybe'/hopefully. Times change, products change and there is always what you wished you had done differently or left out or in the first time. We are adding too the 3-d weaving section with rya, ribbon boutonne, and feather weaving. Adding a few more patterns for shaped purses and a short intro for a kumihimo strap for the purses. It’s a lot of new layout work for Pat. The book was published in 2004, but publishing programs have changed so drastically in the intervening years that all of the layout has to be updated and put into a new program in order to interface with the new programs the printer is using.

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About Me

I am a tapestry weaver and writer. I have written 4 books on tapestry weaving. I enjoy training my Toy Pomerain-Chene'. I have been teaching tapestry since 1982. I enjoy photograpy, silver smithing, mythology and reading almost anything. I have owned and maintained an international tapestry list since 1996.

I am co-owner of Fine Fiber Press. My studio is called Between. I teach tapestry workshops and have private students that work in my studio. I exhibit Nationally and internationally.

Tapestry2005@yahoo.com

If you have an interst in discussing tapestry weaving, tapestry history, tapestry conservation on an ongoing listplease feel free to contact me to join the list at kathetoddhooker@comcast.net. The list has been in existence since august 1996 and at this point has 420 members.